Parthia and Rome · 53-20 BC

Carrhae, 53 BC: Rome meets the Parthian cavalry

Crassus, the richest man in Rome, marched into Mesopotamia hoping for glory. On the open plain near Carrhae a smaller Parthian army of horse archers destroyed his legions. Students find out why, and how Rome got its lost standards back 33 years later.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 1 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Crassus, the richest man in Rome, marched into Mesopotamia hoping for glory. On the open plain near Carrhae a smaller Parthian army of horse archers destroyed his legions. Students find out why, and how Rome got its lost standards back 33 years later.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Carrhae and the frontier between Rome and Parthia on the map.
  • Explain why the Parthian army defeated a larger Roman army in 53 BC.
  • Describe how Rome and Parthia moved from war to diplomacy after Carrhae.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

1 BC

Two empires meet

Open the map in 1 BC: the frontier shown is much the same as in 53 BC. Find Rome's province of Syria and the Parthian lands across the Euphrates. Where would an army cross?

Open this view on the map
b

1 BC

The battlefield

Keep the year at 1 BC. Turn on Historical Events and click "Battle of Carrhae" near Harran. Read it. Look at the land around it: why is flat, open country good for horse archers?

Open this view on the map
c

1 BC

The lost eagles

Type "How did Augustus get back the standards lost at Carrhae?" in Ask the atlas. Did he win them back in battle?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Crassus was the richest man in Rome but had little military glory. Why did he want this war?
  2. The Parthians had fewer soldiers but won. What gave them the advantage?
  3. The Parthian general Surena brought camels loaded with spare arrows. Why is supply as important as bravery?
  4. The Parthian king later had Surena killed. Why might a king fear his own victorious general?
  5. Augustus got the standards back through a deal and celebrated it like a victory. Was it a victory?
4

Game round

9 min

Play Julius Caesar in Rule History. Crassus was his partner in power, and Caesar himself was preparing a war against Parthia when he was murdered in 44 BC. After the round, discuss: would you have marched east to avenge Carrhae?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.